Earth Day in the Gardens, Magnolia Festival, Embrace Space Day, and FREE Comic Books are just a few things you will find on this week’s very packed calendar!
The new Giraffe Exhibit has opened at the Birmingham Zoo. One of the largest giraffe habitats in the Southeast, the Kiwanis Giraffe Encounter allows guests to enjoy an up-close and personal interaction with the Zoo’s five giraffes.
The Schaffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil is back and has a great music line up- whether you take the kids or make it a date, it’s always a fun event!
Have a great week everyone!
It’s Not Our Fault if Your Kids are Bored!
Sunday April 29th:
Magic City Art Connection – Linn Park
This award winning contemporary art festival and Top 20 Southeast Event celebrating its 29th anniversary, transforms downtown Birmingham’s Linn Park each year with its blast of fresh artistic talent, sights, sounds and aromas, drawing from a pool of artists who have been recognized locally, regionally and nationally in visual and performance art, food & wine, dance and music.
Over 200 artists from around the Country, Food from Birmingham’s finest restaurants, wines from around the world, live music and Interactive Art Workshops And Activities For Kids. See your child’s imagination take flight creating a one-of-a-kind work of art at the Imagination Festival. Imagination Festival hosts 2000 elementary students during its Friday art workshop school program. It will close at 3pm on Friday. Please check at the Info Center for the list of available Imagination Festival workshops that are open to the general public on Friday.
Tickets: Admission to the art show is FREE. Tickets for Corks & Chefs Food and Wine Tasting are $25 advance/$30 at the door.
Info Phone: 205-595-6306
10am – 6pm
Bart’s Art Cart – Birmingham Museum of Art
April showers bring May flowers! Craft a “glass” flower inspired by BMA artist Dale Chihuly.
Visit Bart’s Art Cart in the main lobby to explore great art and create some art of your own with the help of our Teen Volunteers. Each month highlights a different gallery and features a new art activity. Learn how to look at art with your child. Stop by and make art with Bart!
1:00pm
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Monday April 30th:
Toddler Tales – Emmet O’ Neal Library
Stories, songs, crafts, and a snack with Miss Kat for ages 24-36 months with a caregiver. Every Monday at 9:30 and 10:30. Call 879-0497 to register, or register online at www.eolib.org.
Tot Time with Mrs Eve – Avondale Library
Storytime fun awaits you and your little one when you attend Avondale Library’s Tot Time. Join Mrs. Eve as she presents stories, songs, and crafts geared for 2 to 4 year olds with a caregiver. 24-hour advance registration required.
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Tuesday May 1st:
Babes in the Zoo– Birmingham Zoo
This fun class introduces children to the experience and wonder of animals in a safe environment.
Children must be 6 months to 2 years old and accompany with an adult. Classes are 30 minutes long.
Members -$6 Non-Members -$12
9am
Storytime – Homewood Public Library
Join us for the fun of it! All ages welcome.
10:30am
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Wednesday May 2nd:
Babes in the Zoo– Birmingham Zoo
This fun class introduces children to the experience and wonder of animals in a safe environment.
Children must be 6 months to 2 years old and accompany with an adult. Classes are 30 minutes long.
Members -$6 Non-Members -$12
9am
Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Join us for Storytime as we read The Duckling Gets a Cookie. See what happens when the duckling gets a cookie and how the pigeon feels about it. We will make something fun and have a treat from the Cafe.
11am
Family Story Time with Mr Mac – North Shelby Library
Storyteller Extraordinaire – Come join Mr Mac and his musical storytime complete with puppets! All Ages, no registration required.
10:45am
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Thursday May 3rd:
Storytime with Ms Terri- Adamsville Public Library
We’ll be reading about and presenting May flowers and spring time fun!
10am
Storytime Adventures – Vestavia Library in the Forest
Join Mr. Brian as he goes on exciting adventures through stories and songs. Ages 3 years – 5 years
10:30am
Time for Tales with Ms Katie – Avondale Library
Join Ms. Katie for a preschool storytime with lots of stories, songs, and fun for everyone! Group registration appreciated.
9:30am
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Friday May 4th:
Gardendale Magnolia Festival – Gardendale Civic Center
Celebrate spring at the award-winning Gardendale Magnolia Festival with over 150 arts/crafts/business vendors including home and garden special section, large midway carnival, classic car show, 3 stages of live entertainment, pooch parade, Little Miss GMF pageant, bungy jump, fishing tank, silent auction, free art classes for kids, and cookie eating contest. You’ll find restaurant quality food as well as festival favorites at our food court including Greek gyros, fried catfish, fried oreos, boiled peanuts, BBQ ribs/smoked sausage, teriyaki chicken on a stick, roasted corn, kettle corn, Italian ice, etc.
Don’t miss this total family experience! Free admission, free parking!
5pm – 9pm
Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil – Outside at the BJCC
The Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil is a Birmingham tradition that like a child, started small then kept growing and growing.The 2011 event included Stone Temple Pilots, Weezer, Cee Lo Green, Nelly, Sublime with Rome Buckcherry, Cage the Elephant, Drivin n Cryin, Cold, Ko Pek, DJ Logic, Wick-It the Instigator and Kidsmeal.
The Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil will be outside at The BJCC (Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. between 22nd and 24th St).
Artists scheduled to play:
Childish Gambino (Donald Glover)
Brantly Gilbert
The Cult
Jane’s Addiction
Friday Single Day – $30.00
Saturday Single Day – $30.00
Friday VIP Single Day – $75.00
Saturday VIP Single Day – $75.00
GA Weekend Pass – $49.50
VIP Weekend Pass – $140.00
There is no age limit; children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
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Saturday May 5th:
We Love Homewood Day – Homewood Central Park
Rides, Games and Inflatables: Located at Homewood Central Park the fun begins at 10:00am and lasts until 5:00pm. A “We Love Homewood Day” favorite will offer a variety of inflatables, rides and activities for all ages to enjoy.
Arts and Crafts / Vendor Expo: This year vendors will be located back in Homewood Central Park amongst the rides and attractions! 10:00am – 4:00pm. Numerous crafters, businesses and civic groups will display, sell items and provide information to those in attendance. The Vendor Expo is full at this time.
Day Time Entertainment @ Central Park: Entertainment will be provided throughout the day on the Main Stage at Central Park. Below is the current line-up:
10:00am – Shirts & Skirts Square Dance Club’s exhibition
11:00am – The Hearts
12:00pm – The Perishables
1:00pm – Homewood High School Band Pep Rally
Art in Avondale Park – Bham Park and Recreation Board
Come out and join us for a day of art in the newly-refurbished Avondale Park! The event features artists’ booths and food vendors, plus free art activities for children, live music and dance, face-painting and more. The mission of Art in Avondale Park Alliance, Inc. is to inspire children to discover their talents through a wide variety of artmaking lessons provided by local art teachers, artists and community volunteers.
10am
Gardendale Magnolia Festival – Gardendale Civic Center
Celebrate spring at the award-winning Gardendale Magnolia Festival with over 150 arts/crafts/business vendors including home and garden special section, large midway carnival, classic car show, 3 stages of live entertainment, pooch parade, Little Miss GMF pageant, bungy jump, fishing tank, silent auction, free art classes for kids, and cookie eating contest. You’ll find restaurant quality food as well as festival favorites at our food court including Greek gyros, fried catfish, fried oreos, boiled peanuts, BBQ ribs/smoked sausage, teriyaki chicken on a stick, roasted corn, kettle corn, Italian ice, etc.
Don’t miss this total family experience! Free admission, free parking!
10am – 5pm
Earth Day at the Gardens – Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Earth Day at The Gardens will have over 40 earth friendly exhibitors at booths displaying family friendly activities and information.
Free Comic Book Day – Kingdom Comics Vestavia
There will be many special guests, including plenty of Super Heroes from across the galaxy. Other fun activities will include a trivia game and photo opportunities with the famous Super Heroes.
Doors open at 10 AM and Super Heroes will be there until 2 PM. Be sure to bring your cameras so you can get some photos with them before they head off to continue saving the world! This is a great family friendly event so bring all the kids. Comic books are free while supplies last!
Air Quality Expo – Pepper Place
Alabama Partners for Clean Air, and initiative of the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, is hosting the 2nd annual Air Quality Expo. from 7 a.m. until 12 noon at Pepper Place Saturday Market. Come out for a free emissions test, view an alternative fuel vehicle, and get free asthma and health screening vouchers. Most importantly, you can learn how to improve Birmingham’s air quality!
Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil – Outside at the BJCC
The Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil is a Birmingham tradition that like a child, started small then kept growing and growing.The 2011 event included Stone Temple Pilots, Weezer, Cee Lo Green, Nelly, Sublime with Rome Buckcherry, Cage the Elephant, Drivin n Cryin, Cold, Ko Pek, DJ Logic, Wick-It the Instigator and Kidsmeal.
The Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil will be outside at The BJCC (Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. between 22nd and 24th St).
Artists scheduled to play:
Moontaxi
Futurebirds
The Head & the Heart
Lupe Fiasco
Megadeth
Snoop Dogg
Wiz Khalifa
Friday Single Day – $30.00
Saturday Single Day – $30.00
Friday VIP Single Day – $75.00
Saturday VIP Single Day – $75.00
GA Weekend Pass – $49.50
VIP Weekend Pass – $140.00
There is no age limit; children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Storytime on the Mountain – Ruffner Mountain
Join Ms. Jerri in the Activity Hall of the Treehouse to read “Butterfly Butterfly” by Petr Horá?ek. This beautifully colored book will have children excited to search for butterflies in their own backyard! We will make butterfly masks following the story. Each family receives a free copy of the book to take home thanks to our sponsor, Target. Stick around after the story and craft and see some real butterflies up-close!
10am
To Be a Park Ranger – Oak Mountain
Come learn what it is to be a Park Ranger at Oak Mountain State Park. Let’s see if we can get them to turn the lights on! Meet at the Campground Pavilion (B-side) at 10a.m. Free after admission to Oak Mountain State Park.
10am
Embrace Space Day – Mcwane Science Center
Join us for Planetarium presentations, space crafts, solar observations, learn how telescopes work, and learn how to become an amateur astronomer.
Cost included in admission – 10am – 2pm
Saturday Market – Pepper Place
Re-open again for the season! Pepper Place Saturday Market brings the best local growers, food producers and artisans to you each Saturday morning. Rain or shine!
7am – Noon
Family Storytime – Emmet O’Neal Library
Bring the entire family and join Mr. Mac for stories and music each Saturday morning.
10:30 a.m.
Storytime – Barnes and Noble Summit
Join us for Storytime as we read Are You Ready to Play Outside? Find out what happens when Gerald and Piggie want to play outside but it starts to rain. We will make a craft and have something delicious from the Cafe.
11am
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Sunday May 6th:
Bart’s Art Cart – Birmingham Museum of Art
Design a teacup just in time for Mother’s Day!
Visit Bart’s Art Cart in the main lobby to explore great art and create some art of your own with the help of our Teen Volunteers. Each month highlights a different gallery and features a new art activity. Learn how to look at art with your child. Stop by and make art with Bart!
1:00pm
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Local Attractions Open Daily!
McWane Science Center:
IMAX
McWane Science Center’s IMAX® Dome Theater puts you in the center of the action by projecting breathtaking quality images onto the 5-story-tall dome screen and delivering intense surround sound through almost 3 tons of speakers and subwoofers.
Now Showing: Born to Be Wild, & Flying Monsters.
The Tornadoes of April 27th – Looking Back — Moving Forward, a new exhibit at McWane Science Center, reflects on the experiences of the April 27th, 2011 storms. The exhibit shares personal stories from those who experienced the devastation of the storms firsthand, while emphasizing the importance of tornado preparedness and explaining the science behind tornadoes.
Photos and stories from The Birmingham News help tell the story of the storms and the affect they had on survivors, volunteers, and the community as a whole. Students from Daniel Payne Middle School also help tell the story of their school and community through photos and artifacts from the storm for the exhibit. UAB students worked with the children from Daniel Payne Middle School to create short documentaries that can be seen in the exhibit as well.
In addition to sharing the personal stories from that day, the goal of this exhibit is to inform the community about how to prepare for extreme weather conditions, explaining the science of tornadoes and stressing awareness.
With vivid displays, the exhibit allows visitors the opportunity to learn about the scientific side of tornadoes. Graphics within the exhibit illustrate tornado formation and anatomy, educating visitors on how such extreme weather conditions develop. Additionally, the exhibit displays statistics and disputes common myths concerning the destructive storms.
Guests can watch live video from the storms that rolled across our state on April 27th, 2011, including the
weather forecasts from that day and actual images of the tornado as it made its way through our area provided by FOX6 WBRC. The exhibit is located in the City Gallery on Level 2 of the museum this summer.
Be Ready Alabama Exhibit Presented by:
The Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
www.readyalabama.org
Birmingham Zoo:
Lorikeet Aviary – Our Lorikeet Aviary has more birds than ever! Zoo guests can feed these exotic birds every day. You and your family will see these birds’ behavior as they eat nectar out of your hand.
Weekends 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
PELICAN FEEDING – A great way to see our pelicans in action is to witness them eating their favorite treats near the pelican boardwalk.
RHINO ENCOUNTER – Embark on an African adventure and experience one of the world’s most extraordinary animals, the Southern White Rhino. Watch from only feet away as our zookeepers engage in hands-on interaction with the animals inside their African-themed exhibit. Don’t miss this exciting encounter with one of the largest mammals on the planet!
Weekdays: 3pm – 3:30pm
Weekends: 11:30am – Noon & 3pm – 3:30 pm
GIRAFFE FEEDING – This up close and personal animal encounter is a memory you and your family will have for a lifetime.
Weekday: 11am – Noon
Weekends: 10am – 11am & 2pm – 3pm
Vulcan Park and Museum:
Vulcan is the world’s largest cast iron statue; made of 100,000 pounds of iron and 56 feet tall, he stands at the top of Red Mountain overlooking the city of Birmingham. But, Vulcan is more than a statue. Vulcan Park and Museum features spectacular views of Birmingham, an interactive history museum that examines Vulcan and Birmingham’s story, and a beautiful public park for visitors and locals to enjoy. With an official information center that is operated by the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, Vulcan Park and Museum serves as the first stop for visitors to the Birmingham area!
Railroad Park:
Railroad Park is a 19 acre green space in downtown Birmingham that celebrates the industrial and artistic heritage of our great city. Situated along 1st Avenue South, between 14th and 18th Streets, the park is a joint effort between the City of Birmingham and the Railroad Park Foundation. Hailed as “Birmingham’s Living Room,” Railroad Park provides a historically rich venue for local recreation, family activities, concerts, and cultural events, while connecting Birmingham’s downtown area with Southside and UAB’s campus.
Southern Museum of Flight:
Earn Your Wings – Bring your little pilot and soar above the clouds in our little pilots room. Kids enjoy building aircrafts, flying kites, and more.
Museum Open Tuesday – Thursday
9:30am – 4:30pm
Do you have or know of an event you would like to have added to our weekly calendar? Please email us at contact@birminghammommy.com, subject line “Events Calendar” – We would love to hear from you!
** All information listed on our calendar is subject to change without notice to us or you… We do our best to keep the information accurate and will always update as soon as we learn that something has changed. It’s always best to double check with the event via their website or a quick call, especially when weather can impact the event.
